On a humid August day in Paradise Hills, dozens of teenagers are crammed into a dark and stuffy studio watching — visibly in awe — as famed musician Mark Dresser plucks away at his bass.

They sing along, “Bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum, bum-bum,” until Dresser invites them to pick up their instruments.

“Don't be afraid,” he tells them. “Really, just go for it — just use your ear.”

This is not a typical summer school.

Welcome to the School of the Creative and Performing Arts' first-ever Summer Intensive, a two-week session of workshops led by professional artists from San Diego and across the country.

About 250 students auditioned for the roughly 130 slots in a program that is paid for through a $200,000 federal grant. Modeled after The Juilliard School's summer program, it is part of a broader effort to transition the popular San Diego Unified School District magnet school into an authentic performing arts campus that emphasizes discipline, hard work and technique over the glitz of the performance.

“It's been amazing for our students and our staff to get the kind of exposure with these professionals,” said Richard Trujillo, the school's creative director. “I think there is actually a fear among faculty that when school starts again, can we sustain this? Are we going to go backward?”

The sprawling campus is virtually empty during summer break, but music wafts from a handful of studios and classrooms, while budding musicians, dancers, photographers and actors dart about with energy and purpose.

Several dancers clad in traditional black and pink ballet leotards lay sprawled on a wood floor, their loose limbs stretching while they scribble into journals reflecting on their summer experience.

“I think I'm more sore than usual. And, I think I have built up more stamina,” said dance student Katrina Pinkerton, 17. “There is more time for instructors to give us individual corrections. That helps.”

The teachers are “deep into philosophy,” said fellow dancer Riana Reasman, 17. “They are intense, so we are intense.”

Former prima ballerina and SCPA parent Lydia Morales volunteered to teach during the summer intensive this month.

“To have this small class of advanced dancers together is inspiring,” said Morales, who lives in San Diego.

Commonly referred to as SCPA, the 31-year-old performing arts school is the most popular magnet in the city school district. For years, many students attended the school because it was an alternative to an underperforming neighborhood campus, or because it seemed cool, Trujillo said.

“For a long time, the school had made a reputation for itself as a safe school more than as an art school,” said Trujillo, an actor.

“There were also a lot of conflicting ideas about what this school should be. Some wanted to push the arts aside and focus on literacy blocs or after-school tutoring,” Trujillo said. “We are growing as an art school now. But academically, we are college-prep.”

Four years ago, the school added student auditions as an admission requirement, giving the program more credibility. It continues to push technique over performance, although shows are a big part of the school.

School leaders hope to renew their federal grant and expand on this year's pilot.

Tamara Paige, the school's choir chair and the director of the orchestra and jazz band, said SCPA has taken on a new life with Trujillo as its new principal and creative director.

As an educator, Paige now demands more from herself and her students. But as she sat through Dresser's recent jazz session, she felt like a student.

“At first, I thought this would be something amazing for our students,” she said. “But then, I had to go and grab my fiddle and join them.”